Mid Atlantic Brewing News February/March 2012 : Page 35

Vol. 14 No. 1 EPenn continued from p.28 www.brewingnews.com lean production requiring staff to be masters of innovative production operations, and his role in the organization is going to be key to our success.” 35 (Top) Co-founders Josh Hoke, Christian Quinlivan and Matt DePrato held the grand opening of Liquid Hero Brewery in York last October. PHOTO COURTESY OF LIQUID HERO Lace on the Glass (Bottom) Brewer/founder Jean Broillet IV walks along the scaffolding as a new facade is added to the front of the future home of Tired Hands Brewing Co. in Ardmore, Pa. PHOTO COURTESY OF TIRED HANDS Co. ). signed on as packaging and quality assurance manager. Hagner did his own stint as brewmaster at The Lion from 1990 to 1995 and was brewmaster for Dixie Brewing Co. in New Orleans prior to that. He also founded the short-live Franconia Brewing Co . in Mt. Pocono in 1995. ”Guy’s experience across the years is diverse,” says Jurado. “Ours is a new brewery framed on Jeff Fegley of Fegley's Brew Works announced that their litigation with Tröegs Brewing Co . in Hershey has been resolved in a mid-December email. Lehigh Valley news sources later reported that Tröegs had actually withdrawn its trademark challenge, which argued that the label for Brew Works’ Rude Elf’s Reserve was too similar to its own Mad Elf . The courts have dismissed the matter with prejudice, meaning Tröegs cannot resubmit the challenge later. Both beers were on the shelves during the holiday season and neither party had any further comments for the record. Chocoholics can skip the candy on Valentine’s Day and still get their fix at Bube’s Brewery in Mt. Joy with head brewer Rick Kunkel’s ever-popular Bube’s Chocolate Cherry Porter . A spiced, Belgian-style golden ale and Cooper’s Shed , a red ale, are scheduled for release following the porter. A creamy, Irish-style dry stout served on nitrogen will mark St. Patrick’s Day in March. Dr. Joel Amato, one of the nicest guys in the beer business and the sales rep for New Holland Brewing Co . on the East Coast for the last few years, has been placed in charge of the brewery’s sale department. He moved to Michigan in mid-January. Zachary Hubbard contributed to this column. “Man in the Green Hat” By Nathan Zeender Washington DC is on track to welcome its first distillery since Prohibition. New Columbia Distillers is a partnership between John Uselton, a wine and spirits enthusiast and former beer buyer for Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, and his father-in-law Michael Lowe, a retired corporate lawyer. The pair has secured a 5,000-sq-ft warehouse on an industrial block in the blighted Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast DC. The moniker, New Columbia refers to the name proposed by the DC statehood movement if the District were ever to become a state. Uselton, a 38-year-old Texas transplant, explains that they are hopeful that all equipment will be in place by this spring, with the first bottles available this summer. The core spirit will be a grain-based, distilled gin they have coined Green Hat . The name is a nod to the notorious George Cassiday, who was the in-house bootlegger for Congress during Prohibition. He wrote a series of articles for the Washington Post under the byline The Man in The Green Hat, after his trademark fedora, in which he admitted to selling liquor to 80% of Congress. “The gin will not be subtle; it’ll have a nice botanical presence to it with a good amount of juniper. It’ll make a really classic gin and tonic, or drink well on its own”, says Uselton. They’re projecting a retail price of, “around $30 for 750-ml and we’re hoping to produce 1,200 cases in 2012. “We plan on experimenting with barrel aged gins and perhaps some seasonal gins,” said Uselton. “Maybe even a sloe gin with marionberries,” he laughed. “We’d hope to start producing whiskey after 6-8 months of operation, starting with a rye -a style indigenous to the area. Later we’d like to do a bourbon.” Whereas the process time for the gin is a little over two weeks from grain to bottle, Uselton would like the whiskeys to mature for five years in charred oak casks. “We’d like to buy some grain locally from farmers. Organic and local grains is our goal,” he adds. The partners have ordered a showpiece, steam-fired copper and stainless steel still with two columns and 20 plates, and a mash tun from Carl Artisan Distilleries of Germany, as well as two fermenters from Spokane, Wash. They’ll self-distribute in DC and rely on volunteers for weekly “bottling parties”. They also are working on legislation to allow on-site sampling and sales, and plan on offering free tours. New DC Distillery to Honor

New DC Distillery To Honor "Man In The Green Hat"

Nathan Zeender

Washington DC is on track to welcome its first distillery since Prohibition. New Columbia Distillers is a partnership between John Uselton, a wine and spirits enthusiast and former beer buyer for Schneider’s of Capitol Hill, and his father-inlaw Michael Lowe, a retired corporate lawyer. The pair has secured a 5,000-sq-ft warehouse on an industrial block in the blighted Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast DC. The moniker, New Columbia refers to the name proposed by the DC statehood movement if the District were ever to become a state. Uselton, a 38-year-old Texas transplant, explains that they are hopeful that all equipment will be in place by this spring, with the first bottles available this summer.<br />
<br />
The core spirit will be a grain-based, distilled gin they have coined Green Hat. The name is a nod to the notorious George Cassiday, who was the in-house bootlegger for Congress during Prohibition. He wrote a series of articles for the Washington Post under the byline The Man in The Green Hat, after his trademark fedora, in which he admitted to selling liquor to 80% of Congress.<br />
<br />
“The gin will not be subtle; it’ll have a nice botanical presence to it with a good amount of juniper. It’ll make a really classic gin and tonic, or drink well on its own”, says Uselton. They’re projecting a retail price of, “around $30 for 750-ml and we’re hoping to produce 1,200 cases in 2012.<br />
<br />
“We plan on experimenting with barrel aged gins and perhaps some seasonal gins,” said Uselton. “Maybe even a sloe gin with marionberries,” he laughed.<br />
<br />
“We’d hope to start producing whiskey after 6-8 months of operation, starting with a rye - a style indigenous to the area. Later we’d like to do a bourbon.” Whereas the process time for the gin is a little over two weeks from grain to bottle, Uselton would like the whiskeys to mature for five years in charred oak casks.<br />
<br />
“We’d like to buy some grain locally from farmers. Organic and local grains is our goal,” he adds.<br />
<br />
The partners have ordered a showpiece, steam-fired copper and stainless steel still with two columns and 20 plates, and a mash tun from Carl Artisan Distilleries of Germany, as well as two fermenters from Spokane, Wash. They’ll self-distribute in DC and rely on volunteers for weekly “bottling parties”.<br />
<br />
They also are working on legislation to allow on-site sampling and sales, and plan on offering free tours.